I think he was just trying to make a point that even small enclosures can look tidy with modest effort. Though I suppose posting a picture would've sufficed all the same.
I still prefer video reviews though. They help you get a better "feel" for the case in a way that pictures alone just don't do.
I don't really see it as that much neater, anyway. He routed the 12v line a little different and doesn't have a graphics card with two power plugs hanging out in the middle of the case, which makes a big difference in terms of appearance.
Because all the little crazy PC brainwashed idiots on every website in the world squeal it must be BLACK and any leds are preferred BLUE.
That's why, we have a populace of lemmings and parrots who think they are in with cool as their personal tastes are declared completely in line with the "popular cool" line of total frikkin BS for no reason pop culture stupidity.
Black makes it very difficult to see and assemble, and with all the assembling WHINES in every freaking direction, one would think the idiot masses could choose another color more in line iwth correcting their constant complaints.
But no, BLACK is "cool" no matter what, and BLUE must be the LED color.
There you have it, the RETARDS of the world on fire for their proclaimed "personal preference" which is nothing more than an absolutely thoughtless regurgitation of the pop culture.
That's why "amd fanboyism" has been and is the scourge it is as well, too.
Why do you have to be such a damn supremacist? Just because some people may think blue LEDs on what is clearly an office-style case is ridiculous, that makes them a mindless sheep? Just because your opinions are different than what is popular, doesn't give you the right to feel superior. People have different opinions, deal with it.
Also, why would you use the Fan LEDs to light the case up while assembling rather than just working in a well lit area?
He did a 10x times better cable management on that little case than you will ever do. Instead of criticizing the man, how about getting better at your work?
I just got paid $6784 working on my laptop using these simple steps leaked on this web page. Make up to $85 per hour doing simple tasks that are so easy to do that you won't forgive yourself if you don't check it out! Weekly payments! Here is what I've been doing Epic2.c(om)
If you casually look at cases on newegg by number of reviews (and thus purchases), all the top reviewed cases have LED fans. AKA people are attracted to bright lights.
It's weird though as the Rosewill's Line (ATX version) is offered in both LED and non-LED versions.
My only gripe with this case besides it's price is that I hate stacked side fan vents, I would much rather have horizontal ones.
The non-LED version is probably intended for the same (business) customers who want the padlock loop on the back. It's a trivial alternative to let them target two markets at once.
Really? So when Shakespeare wrote "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" Juliet was asking Why he was named Romeo and not where Romeo is? I understand this is a tech site but you may want to expand your knowledge some to understand the reference of the title.
Yes, asking "why" he is Romeo is EXACTLY what she was doing.
If he were not Romeo Monatgue, their relationship would not have any barriers or complications.
You should really learn the material before making fun of other people for not knowing it. Even the most basic reading of it would have taught you this.
Actually, Juliet wasn't asking why he was named Romeo, but why he IS Romeo. Basically her question was about why Romeo had to be who he is, instead of somebody not in a family hers opposed. "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" was a lament about her heart's poor choices, and the family he unfortunately belonged to.
Type in wherefore in Google and you get: Adverb For what reason: "she took an ill turn, but wherefore I cannot say". As a result of which: "truly he cared for me, wherefore I title him with all respect". Synonyms why
Furthermore, two seconds of research will bring you this:
The 'wherefore' here means why rather than where. What Juliet is asking, in allusion to the feud between her Capulet family and Romeo's Montague clan, is 'Romeo, why are you a Montague?'. Their love is impossible because of their family names and she asks him to change his allegiance, or else she will change hers.
Thanks - I was going to point this out, as an English Lit snob, but you got there first.
Juliet says this to bemoan the fact that the guy she loves is Romeo, and not someone else - "Why are you Romeo (...and not some other guy down the street who's family doesn't want to kill mine)"
Not "where are you." She's not looking for him, she's complaining about falling in love with the wrong guy.
At first I thought the author indeed meant "Wherefore", as that could make sense too if the author questioned why it was micro-ATX. I don't think that was his intention.
Would be a better title for this article because this is a case that time forgot. It is simply a retread of a late 1990s design.
It is very cheap, it does not do a bad job in will do fine for the vast majority of people.
But if you read Anandtech you are not the vast majority of people. As far as I am concerned the best M-atx case is the Siverstone 08, sure it is a lot more expensive and not perfect (a bit more width to allow sound proofing as well as cable management would help). The silverstone is what Anandtech readers should buy (I also have a soft spot for Fractal design mni arc).
My problem fwith case design is that there has been no real innovation for years - moving PSU from top to bottom does not count. Lian Li have experimented a bit as have Silverstone but the rest keep with the same designs.
How about a design with the following features:
1. Hinges not notched panels: Dustin is right about this 2. Width so side panels have proper sound dampening but also room for cabling 3. More experimenting with PSU placement, I like the idea of 90 degrees to current method, but need to be convinced. 4. More thought about isolating PSU from case for vibration 5. Oprical drives need noise dampening and vibration isolation as well. 6. More use of grooves in back of motherboard panel to direct cabling and lots of points to attach cable ties to. 7. Fewer hard drive cages 8. Bring back the supports for the GPU
I find the stark contrast between the WHINING of the "luxury item" titan $999 brand spanking new awesome nVidia card, and the COMPLAINING about this mid range tiny case simply amazing.
In the first case the BRATS can't comprehend nor condone the price, nor do they, any of them, save a few, in 300 comments, desire it for gaming at the price.
In this case, it's not good enough - so some will go waste $100 or more (above or beyond this one's price) on some tiny case they can "feel good about". What a waste in comparison when an extra unneeded $100 is blown away on a feel good whim ( probably more than once so $200 or more ) - then the claimed extra $200 for the $999 Titan is the biggest sin in the world...
So you get the usb extension to the front, that's a bonus, too, like the toolless drive mounting.
Another luxury item others will call low end garbage then waste away their build dollars and scream about $5 $10 or $20 $50 or $200 on some (Titan or other) vid card they can't codnone or stomach the few bucks or few hundred extra they already WASTED.
My favorite Micro-ATX case is the Thermaltake WingMA.
What sets it apart from most other M-ATX cases is the fact that it has 3 filtered 5.25" bays, which makes it perfect for equipping a Xigmatek 4-in-3 HDD cage. In total it can hold up to 7 3.5" HDDs making it ideal for a compact media server / storage machine.
It also has motherboard standoffs built-in so no need to fiddle around with additional spacers. It's "just" wide enough to fit a Hyper 212+ CPU cooler in the intended vertical position with hot air blowing out the rear 120mm fan, and "just" tall enough to allow removal of the PSU without first taking out the aforementioned Hyper 212+ cooler making swapping out PSUs a much less tedious affair.
It would be perfect if it had a modular / removable HDD cage and front panel USB 3.0.
I would like to see more mATX cases reviewed/ They are a good compromise between the extremely small and hard to work on iTX cases and the large in your face ATX cases.
I would add a few mITX cases to your list as well. There are a few mITX cases that size wise are almost mATX but can only accommodate a mITX board. They are typically when you want a small form factor that can hold a lot of storage or bigger graphics cards.
The one I just bought is amazing with a few small flaws. It is 14.41" x 7.83" x 11.02" or 1243 cubic inches Vs your first mATX which is 10.35" x 8.35" x 15.47" 1337 cubic inches. Being almost mATX size means it can hold 7x 3.5" + 3x 2.5" drives Vs. the mATX's 2x 3.5" and 2x 5.25" capacity.
It's nice to see inexpensive cases getting a little more attention. I personally wouldn't spend even $55 on a case when online vendors sell perfectly acceptable Micro-ATX cases for $10-15 less and include a no-name 300 watt power supply (my gaming desktop sits in such a $40 budget box and I'm endlessly amused at how horrified people seem to get, predicting doom, gloom, and fires for the stuff packed inside - of course, that's all simply silliness). Craigslist, area depending, makes it easy to get case and power supply freebies as well. Sure, I have the money laying around to blow $400 on the box I put my stuff inside, but what for? It's like a shoebox or a Capri Sun juice pouch because, as long as it holds the stuff inside, its doing its job.
At any rate, it's easy to conclude that price and the goo-gaws of the design have little to do with the effectiveness of the case at keeping things inside it cool. Cable management is an oft cited fussing point made in the name of better airflow and better thermals. The sad reality is that, after years of building rat nests of IDE cables and tangles un-modular power wires, thoughtless cable disasters have very marginal impact on cooling. Most of the appeal of higher cost containers is in the target marketing and the desires of buyers to chase style while making a PC fashion statement in their desktops.
I'm still endlessly confused about why a set of locking tabs on a side panel draw so much ire. Sure cases with pop-out sides and spring-loaded levered mechanisms are around, but once a PC is built, even frequent fiddling around inside boils down to a once in a while thing. The few seconds difference (if there is one at all) in taking off the side because of the mechanism design seems like such a minor quibble and hardly worth expressing hatred or any sort of strong emotion.
Well I'm guessing the convenience factors stand out way more to reviewers like Dustin, who is assembling one or two systems a week for testing. You're right that they don't matter to like almost all enthusiasts, though.
Since we are presumably dealing with hardware enthusiasts "here", why would anyone need a new case, they should have half a dozen laying around from years of builds...
You'd be surprised how people are though... their personal feelings about the appearance of the hardware seems to be about 50% of their opinion of the computer, and if they think they have something "socially impressive" then their brain is already gone and any clear estimation of performance might as well be assigned to the trash bin.
Stupidity comes in "order of magnitudes", as the fools love to say.
I can get behind a lot of your points especially for a basic computer. I would disagree on two points though. I have encountered so many cases that had such bad design with how the panels attach that I have thrown the case away. If I can't put the case back on within ~10minutes or without bleeding I start to get frustrated and I'll pay for something better. I'm not saying you have to pay more but it's hard to tell how a case panel will behave if it's bent slightly when moving it one day even from reviews.
The second point is that there are important features of a case outside of cost that do matter based on your needs. I personally have 4 computers in my office so floor space is at a premium. Smaller cases shouldn't cost more but they do and it is worth the extra money to get a smaller case. I have a server in my closet with 6TB of RAID storage. I spent extra money getting a case with lots of capacity and good cable management. The box started out in life as a 2TB server a long time ago and I have steadily increased the capacity over the years. It actually has 10TB of drives in it right now because I haven't gone back in and removed the 4TB set when I moved to 6TB. While I agree that for a workstation I will build and forget it and rarely go back in it except to clean it this isn't all computers. So I'm in and out of this machine a good bit and I'm glad it is a nice roomy case with good drive bays.
I hadn't even got to the Conclusion section when I opened up your reviews of the TJ08E / PS07 (basically the same case) for comparison. Pity the testbed has changed - I would have liked to have seen them in the charts for an "official" comparison. (For those who will revisit these reviews, keep in mind that the original reviews were run with a GTX580 rather than the current GTX560 when comparing thermals and acoustics to the current testbed results.)
A quick review of the case specs shows that the Silverstones are about double the weight and pretty much exactly an inch wider, which is where the space behind the mobo comes from in these 2 cases.
Newegg currently shows the TJ08 going for $110+14S&H, and the PS07 for $79+10S&H-10Rebate. Maybe a bit high, considering how long they've been on the market, but they are also both averaging 4+ eggs, which could justify a little price premium.
Thanks, Dustin, for keeping up with the mATX cases.
I can't help but wonder if we were assembling a system in this chassis at the same time.
When it launched the price was 49.99 shipped, but has gone up five bucks since then. Still a fair price far as I'm concerned. I was worried the case would be too cheap and flimsy, but it's good enough for the hardware I installed.
The Xigmatek Dark Knight fit, barely, but did fit. Now that I've spent some time playing with fan orientation I've decided to try a down-draft cooler instead, which I suspect will do well in this chassis especially considering the motherboard I used has no heatsinks around the CPU socket. The only problem I have with that is the high cost for a quality horizontal DD heatsink. Wish I could find a good one without fans because the best includes two VR fans :( (shame on you Noctua.....)
The biggest issue I had going in was the top-mounted PSU, but could not find a mATX mini tower with bottom mount PSU and 2x USB 3.0 front ports, in a budget price range. Even if money were no object the choices for mATX mini tower are very limited, with either a budget price or extremely high price tag and nothing in-between. I agree that top mount PSUs should have a vent on top chassis panel, but we did not get that with this case, and so those of you thinking to install 120 rads front and back will have the PSU exhausting all the system air. Using the side fans to exhaust a LCed system is not an option here either, if a rad is installed on the rear. Best you could do is exhaust with the lower side fan which makes no sense at all, when that fan will pull air from the rear vent adjacent to PCI slots.
All in all I'm happy with the case and would buy again in a heartbeat. Don't let the price fool you, this chassis is great for housing a small but powerful gaming system. There's enough space here for a GPU (or two), Sound card, Revo drive, etc....which is something no mITX system can do and the main reason why I've not been sold on the idea.
I've found that if you wait for a sale you can get a really decent case for around $30, usually with a stupid rebate.
Black interior, windowed or mesh for fans, 120mm fans, USB 3.0, space for cable management, etc.
The brands I've considered recently:
Rosewill, Ultra (Tiger Direct), and Raidmax. Yes, Raidmax stuff is mostly gaudy and I wouldnt' consider their PSUs but they have a decent case or two at a low price when the sales hit.
".... as many of us are often on the hook to build and maintain desktops for family and friends."
I don't know what to say to this... It's a fact, and many of enthusiasts look thru all of it for one reason or another, your observation being very very high on the list.
I like the style of the case, very solemn with any stupid bling. I own a TJ08-E and this is pretty similar. A bit cheaper I think with some different water cooling options present. I think my TJ08-E will stay with me quite a long time as I don't expect to abandon mATX mainboards and my water cooling setup is enough to handle any CPU and single GPU with nice overclocks nearly silently. :)
I believe the Line-M case was birthed in the same factory in China that pooped out the Cooler Master Elite 341. The design language is the same and it even uses the same drive bay subchassis with the same toolless clips.
** "...and a single 3.5" bay for the inevitable card reader. "
Really, inevitable? I've never seen a single person with a card reader in their machine that wasn't there because it came with the pre-built machine. I've taken to asking people if they have ever used it and I haven't had anyone answer yes in at least 50 inquiries. According to NewEggs stats, USB card readers are way more popular and what we use at work in what I would call "industrial usage". The USB ones are also cheaper.
Finally, what I hear you saying in all the quotes below is that this case, as well as a lot of other cases, would be much better without the 5.25" bays. Yet only two cases in the world give us this option.
** "Currently the biggest albatross hanging around the neck of case design is the 5.25" bay..."
** "...but you'll have to tilt the board into the case if you're using a full-sized Micro-ATX board, as the drive cage overhangs the tray..."
** "...optical drive and the storage drives, as they're most liable to get buried under cables."
** "..but I must stress that you really are limited to 160mm of PSU depth unless you eschew using the 5.25" bays entirely."
** "Bottom-front intake to top-rear exhaust is inefficient design..."
Just fyi, but wherefore means "why". The usage in the title seems to be using it as "where", as in "where are the micro-ATX cases at?" "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" is Juliet lamenting that the guy she likes is a member of a rival family. Why is he a Montegue, the hated rival of her father's family, rather than someone that she could hook up with easily.
It's not even "black is cool" or "blue is best" or whatever. Black and blue are both relatively neutral colors. If they make a case lime green or fire engine red, there's a lot of people who won't buy it JUST because they don't like the color.
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47 Comments
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paulshardware - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
"...there's really no way to not do a messy job with this case, though, so keep that in mind."I beg to differ!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H51pFVZ0M14
;)
- Paul
Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
It's a little shady to promote your own reviews on someone else's review.beemeup - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
I think he was just trying to make a point that even small enclosures can look tidy with modest effort. Though I suppose posting a picture would've sufficed all the same.I still prefer video reviews though. They help you get a better "feel" for the case in a way that pictures alone just don't do.
CeriseCogburn - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Anyone notice there's a giant gaping cutout for the motherboard ? (in the video vs in the review the whine there is not hole for cpu hs mounting)No of course not, you're all too busy complaining and moaning.
I started reading the review and though what a spoiled brat bad mouther of a review it is.
So if it is the same case, expect either a cutout or not. I will say I've seen this type of thing occur, as you don't always get what you order.
God forbid one would have to use screws to mount 5.25 bay items...
I mean this case is no where near barebones, nor as barebones as it gets.
SPOILED WHINING BRATS - that's what I see and hear.
uditrana - Wednesday, April 24, 2013 - link
Calm Down.I doubt anyone will respond but what Corsair PSU were you referring to. I would like to get it but m confused in the sea of PSU's
WeaselITB - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
I don't really see it as that much neater, anyway. He routed the 12v line a little different and doesn't have a graphics card with two power plugs hanging out in the middle of the case, which makes a big difference in terms of appearance.-Weasel
CeriseCogburn - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Why the blue case fan the review whines....Because all the little crazy PC brainwashed idiots on every website in the world squeal it must be BLACK and any leds are preferred BLUE.
That's why, we have a populace of lemmings and parrots who think they are in with cool as their personal tastes are declared completely in line with the "popular cool" line of total frikkin BS for no reason pop culture stupidity.
Black makes it very difficult to see and assemble, and with all the assembling WHINES in every freaking direction, one would think the idiot masses could choose another color more in line iwth correcting their constant complaints.
But no, BLACK is "cool" no matter what, and BLUE must be the LED color.
There you have it, the RETARDS of the world on fire for their proclaimed "personal preference" which is nothing more than an absolutely thoughtless regurgitation of the pop culture.
That's why "amd fanboyism" has been and is the scourge it is as well, too.
Ricadan - Sunday, March 3, 2013 - link
Why do you have to be such a damn supremacist? Just because some people may think blue LEDs on what is clearly an office-style case is ridiculous, that makes them a mindless sheep? Just because your opinions are different than what is popular, doesn't give you the right to feel superior. People have different opinions, deal with it.Also, why would you use the Fan LEDs to light the case up while assembling rather than just working in a well lit area?
Ilias78 - Friday, March 1, 2013 - link
He did a 10x times better cable management on that little case than you will ever do. Instead of criticizing the man, how about getting better at your work?ilihijan - Sunday, March 3, 2013 - link
I just got paid $6784 working on my laptop using these simple steps leaked on this web page. Make up to $85 per hour doing simple tasks that are so easy to do that you won't forgive yourself if you don't check it out! Weekly payments! Here is what I've been doing Epic2.c(om)Retrophe - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Not a bad case. Would be fun to mod with a small window, sound deadening and better fans.Nice review as always.
Oh and nice wiring job Paul!
iTzSnypah - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
If you casually look at cases on newegg by number of reviews (and thus purchases), all the top reviewed cases have LED fans. AKA people are attracted to bright lights.It's weird though as the Rosewill's Line (ATX version) is offered in both LED and non-LED versions.
My only gripe with this case besides it's price is that I hate stacked side fan vents, I would much rather have horizontal ones.
DanNeely - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
The non-LED version is probably intended for the same (business) customers who want the padlock loop on the back. It's a trivial alternative to let them target two markets at once.ahar - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
I think the title would make more sense if wherefore meant where.beemeup - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Yeah, wherefore means "why" and not "where" as most people would think.It's a very deceptive word.
Silverkinggames - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Really? So when Shakespeare wrote "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" Juliet was asking Why he was named Romeo and not where Romeo is? I understand this is a tech site but you may want to expand your knowledge some to understand the reference of the title.A5 - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Yes, asking "why" he is Romeo is EXACTLY what she was doing.If he were not Romeo Monatgue, their relationship would not have any barriers or complications.
You should really learn the material before making fun of other people for not knowing it. Even the most basic reading of it would have taught you this.
thermopyle2 - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Actually, Juliet wasn't asking why he was named Romeo, but why he IS Romeo. Basically her question was about why Romeo had to be who he is, instead of somebody not in a family hers opposed. "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" was a lament about her heart's poor choices, and the family he unfortunately belonged to.http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/262200.html
adityanag - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
"I understand this is a tech site but you may want to expand your knowledge some to understand the reference of the title. "Indeed.. you might even want to read Romeo & Juliet. It is why, not where.
This line made me laugh out loud. Silverkinggames, there is an expression that is extremely apt: "Hoist by his own petard"
:D
Sweepster - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Type in wherefore in Google and you get:Adverb
For what reason: "she took an ill turn, but wherefore I cannot say".
As a result of which: "truly he cared for me, wherefore I title him with all respect".
Synonyms
why
So I believe an apology is in order here.
Sweepster - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Furthermore, two seconds of research will bring you this:The 'wherefore' here means why rather than where. What Juliet is asking, in allusion to the feud between her Capulet family and Romeo's Montague clan, is 'Romeo, why are you a Montague?'. Their love is impossible because of their family names and she asks him to change his allegiance, or else she will change hers.
rangerdavid - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Thanks - I was going to point this out, as an English Lit snob, but you got there first.Juliet says this to bemoan the fact that the guy she loves is Romeo, and not someone else - "Why are you Romeo (...and not some other guy down the street who's family doesn't want to kill mine)"
Not "where are you." She's not looking for him, she's complaining about falling in love with the wrong guy.
The more you know!
rRansom - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
That's why I don't like Romeo and Juliet - or Shakespeare in general.sjakti - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
At first I thought the author indeed meant "Wherefore", as that could make sense too if the author questioned why it was micro-ATX. I don't think that was his intention.cjs150 - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Would be a better title for this article because this is a case that time forgot. It is simply a retread of a late 1990s design.It is very cheap, it does not do a bad job in will do fine for the vast majority of people.
But if you read Anandtech you are not the vast majority of people. As far as I am concerned the best M-atx case is the Siverstone 08, sure it is a lot more expensive and not perfect (a bit more width to allow sound proofing as well as cable management would help). The silverstone is what Anandtech readers should buy (I also have a soft spot for Fractal design mni arc).
My problem fwith case design is that there has been no real innovation for years - moving PSU from top to bottom does not count. Lian Li have experimented a bit as have Silverstone but the rest keep with the same designs.
How about a design with the following features:
1. Hinges not notched panels: Dustin is right about this
2. Width so side panels have proper sound dampening but also room for cabling
3. More experimenting with PSU placement, I like the idea of 90 degrees to current method, but need to be convinced.
4. More thought about isolating PSU from case for vibration
5. Oprical drives need noise dampening and vibration isolation as well.
6. More use of grooves in back of motherboard panel to direct cabling and lots of points to attach cable ties to.
7. Fewer hard drive cages
8. Bring back the supports for the GPU
CeriseCogburn - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
I find the stark contrast between the WHINING of the "luxury item" titan $999 brand spanking new awesome nVidia card, and the COMPLAINING about this mid range tiny case simply amazing.In the first case the BRATS can't comprehend nor condone the price, nor do they, any of them, save a few, in 300 comments, desire it for gaming at the price.
In this case, it's not good enough - so some will go waste $100 or more (above or beyond this one's price) on some tiny case they can "feel good about". What a waste in comparison when an extra unneeded $100 is blown away on a feel good whim ( probably more than once so $200 or more ) - then the claimed extra $200 for the $999 Titan is the biggest sin in the world...
So you get the usb extension to the front, that's a bonus, too, like the toolless drive mounting.
Another luxury item others will call low end garbage then waste away their build dollars and scream about $5 $10 or $20 $50 or $200 on some (Titan or other) vid card they can't codnone or stomach the few bucks or few hundred extra they already WASTED.
beemeup - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
My favorite Micro-ATX case is the Thermaltake WingMA.What sets it apart from most other M-ATX cases is the fact that it has 3 filtered 5.25" bays,
which makes it perfect for equipping a Xigmatek 4-in-3 HDD cage. In total it can hold up to 7 3.5" HDDs making it ideal for a compact media server / storage machine.
It also has motherboard standoffs built-in so no need to fiddle around with additional spacers.
It's "just" wide enough to fit a Hyper 212+ CPU cooler in the intended vertical position with hot air blowing out the rear 120mm fan, and "just" tall enough to allow removal of the PSU without first taking out the aforementioned Hyper 212+ cooler making swapping out PSUs a much less tedious affair.
It would be perfect if it had a modular / removable HDD cage and front panel USB 3.0.
beemeup - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Correction: It can hold a total of 8x 3.5" HDDs + 4x 2.5" SSDs if you decide to equip the two front 3.5" bays with 2-in-1 2.5-to-3.5" adapters.That's 12 drives total! Very impressive for a Micro-ATX case.
lwatcdr - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
I would like to see more mATX cases reviewed/ They are a good compromise between the extremely small and hard to work on iTX cases and the large in your face ATX cases.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
I think this one would be great for a Hackintosh build
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
And this for your typical home office http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
NZXT even builds a gaming mATX case but it lacks USB 3 front ports so I left it of my list.
Grok42 - Sunday, March 3, 2013 - link
I would add a few mITX cases to your list as well. There are a few mITX cases that size wise are almost mATX but can only accommodate a mITX board. They are typically when you want a small form factor that can hold a lot of storage or bigger graphics cards.The one I just bought is amazing with a few small flaws. It is 14.41" x 7.83" x 11.02" or 1243 cubic inches Vs your first mATX which is 10.35" x 8.35" x 15.47" 1337 cubic inches. Being almost mATX size means it can hold 7x 3.5" + 3x 2.5" drives Vs. the mATX's 2x 3.5" and 2x 5.25" capacity.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
BrokenCrayons - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
It's nice to see inexpensive cases getting a little more attention. I personally wouldn't spend even $55 on a case when online vendors sell perfectly acceptable Micro-ATX cases for $10-15 less and include a no-name 300 watt power supply (my gaming desktop sits in such a $40 budget box and I'm endlessly amused at how horrified people seem to get, predicting doom, gloom, and fires for the stuff packed inside - of course, that's all simply silliness). Craigslist, area depending, makes it easy to get case and power supply freebies as well. Sure, I have the money laying around to blow $400 on the box I put my stuff inside, but what for? It's like a shoebox or a Capri Sun juice pouch because, as long as it holds the stuff inside, its doing its job.At any rate, it's easy to conclude that price and the goo-gaws of the design have little to do with the effectiveness of the case at keeping things inside it cool. Cable management is an oft cited fussing point made in the name of better airflow and better thermals. The sad reality is that, after years of building rat nests of IDE cables and tangles un-modular power wires, thoughtless cable disasters have very marginal impact on cooling. Most of the appeal of higher cost containers is in the target marketing and the desires of buyers to chase style while making a PC fashion statement in their desktops.
I'm still endlessly confused about why a set of locking tabs on a side panel draw so much ire. Sure cases with pop-out sides and spring-loaded levered mechanisms are around, but once a PC is built, even frequent fiddling around inside boils down to a once in a while thing. The few seconds difference (if there is one at all) in taking off the side because of the mechanism design seems like such a minor quibble and hardly worth expressing hatred or any sort of strong emotion.
-BC
A5 - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Well I'm guessing the convenience factors stand out way more to reviewers like Dustin, who is assembling one or two systems a week for testing. You're right that they don't matter to like almost all enthusiasts, though.CeriseCogburn - Sunday, March 3, 2013 - link
Since we are presumably dealing with hardware enthusiasts "here", why would anyone need a new case, they should have half a dozen laying around from years of builds...You'd be surprised how people are though... their personal feelings about the appearance of the hardware seems to be about 50% of their opinion of the computer, and if they think they have something "socially impressive" then their brain is already gone and any clear estimation of performance might as well be assigned to the trash bin.
Stupidity comes in "order of magnitudes", as the fools love to say.
Grok42 - Sunday, March 3, 2013 - link
I can get behind a lot of your points especially for a basic computer. I would disagree on two points though. I have encountered so many cases that had such bad design with how the panels attach that I have thrown the case away. If I can't put the case back on within ~10minutes or without bleeding I start to get frustrated and I'll pay for something better. I'm not saying you have to pay more but it's hard to tell how a case panel will behave if it's bent slightly when moving it one day even from reviews.The second point is that there are important features of a case outside of cost that do matter based on your needs. I personally have 4 computers in my office so floor space is at a premium. Smaller cases shouldn't cost more but they do and it is worth the extra money to get a smaller case. I have a server in my closet with 6TB of RAID storage. I spent extra money getting a case with lots of capacity and good cable management. The box started out in life as a 2TB server a long time ago and I have steadily increased the capacity over the years. It actually has 10TB of drives in it right now because I haven't gone back in and removed the 4TB set when I moved to 6TB. While I agree that for a workstation I will build and forget it and rarely go back in it except to clean it this isn't all computers. So I'm in and out of this machine a good bit and I'm glad it is a nice roomy case with good drive bays.
jtd871 - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
I hadn't even got to the Conclusion section when I opened up your reviews of the TJ08E / PS07 (basically the same case) for comparison. Pity the testbed has changed - I would have liked to have seen them in the charts for an "official" comparison. (For those who will revisit these reviews, keep in mind that the original reviews were run with a GTX580 rather than the current GTX560 when comparing thermals and acoustics to the current testbed results.)http://www.anandtech.com/show/4533/silverstone-tem...
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5270/silverstone-pre...
A quick review of the case specs shows that the Silverstones are about double the weight and pretty much exactly an inch wider, which is where the space behind the mobo comes from in these 2 cases.
Newegg currently shows the TJ08 going for $110+14S&H, and the PS07 for $79+10S&H-10Rebate. Maybe a bit high, considering how long they've been on the market, but they are also both averaging 4+ eggs, which could justify a little price premium.
Thanks, Dustin, for keeping up with the mATX cases.
JeBarr - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
I can't help but wonder if we were assembling a system in this chassis at the same time.When it launched the price was 49.99 shipped, but has gone up five bucks since then. Still a fair price far as I'm concerned. I was worried the case would be too cheap and flimsy, but it's good enough for the hardware I installed.
The Xigmatek Dark Knight fit, barely, but did fit. Now that I've spent some time playing with fan orientation I've decided to try a down-draft cooler instead, which I suspect will do well in this chassis especially considering the motherboard I used has no heatsinks around the CPU socket. The only problem I have with that is the high cost for a quality horizontal DD heatsink. Wish I could find a good one without fans because the best includes two VR fans :( (shame on you Noctua.....)
The biggest issue I had going in was the top-mounted PSU, but could not find a mATX mini tower with bottom mount PSU and 2x USB 3.0 front ports, in a budget price range. Even if money were no object the choices for mATX mini tower are very limited, with either a budget price or extremely high price tag and nothing in-between. I agree that top mount PSUs should have a vent on top chassis panel, but we did not get that with this case, and so those of you thinking to install 120 rads front and back will have the PSU exhausting all the system air. Using the side fans to exhaust a LCed system is not an option here either, if a rad is installed on the rear. Best you could do is exhaust with the lower side fan which makes no sense at all, when that fan will pull air from the rear vent adjacent to PCI slots.
All in all I'm happy with the case and would buy again in a heartbeat. Don't let the price fool you, this chassis is great for housing a small but powerful gaming system. There's enough space here for a GPU (or two), Sound card, Revo drive, etc....which is something no mITX system can do and the main reason why I've not been sold on the idea.
JonnyDough - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
I've found that if you wait for a sale you can get a really decent case for around $30, usually with a stupid rebate.Black interior, windowed or mesh for fans, 120mm fans, USB 3.0, space for cable management, etc.
The brands I've considered recently:
Rosewill, Ultra (Tiger Direct), and Raidmax. Yes, Raidmax stuff is mostly gaudy and I wouldnt' consider their PSUs but they have a decent case or two at a low price when the sales hit.
just4U - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
".... as many of us are often on the hook to build and maintain desktops for family and friends."I don't know what to say to this... It's a fact, and many of enthusiasts look thru all of it for one reason or another, your observation being very very high on the list.
just4U - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
-"but I couldn't help but want the Line-M in beige, if you catch my drift."-"..That there's a loop in the back for a padlock is an indicator of where this case is supposed to go,.."
More great comments.. altho I never realized what those loops were for. I guess you really do learn something new everyday if your looking..
Death666Angel - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
I like the style of the case, very solemn with any stupid bling. I own a TJ08-E and this is pretty similar. A bit cheaper I think with some different water cooling options present. I think my TJ08-E will stay with me quite a long time as I don't expect to abandon mATX mainboards and my water cooling setup is enough to handle any CPU and single GPU with nice overclocks nearly silently. :)Zap - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
I believe the Line-M case was birthed in the same factory in China that pooped out the Cooler Master Elite 341. The design language is the same and it even uses the same drive bay subchassis with the same toolless clips.xrror - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
If the blue illumination out of the front fan is such a problem, why not just swap the front and back fans?If these are going to be crammed in an office cubical, you likely won't see the back anyway.
konroh77 - Friday, March 1, 2013 - link
This case is $39.99 with a coupon code at newegg right now...Grok42 - Sunday, March 3, 2013 - link
** "...and a single 3.5" bay for the inevitable card reader. "Really, inevitable? I've never seen a single person with a card reader in their machine that wasn't there because it came with the pre-built machine. I've taken to asking people if they have ever used it and I haven't had anyone answer yes in at least 50 inquiries. According to NewEggs stats, USB card readers are way more popular and what we use at work in what I would call "industrial usage". The USB ones are also cheaper.
Finally, what I hear you saying in all the quotes below is that this case, as well as a lot of other cases, would be much better without the 5.25" bays. Yet only two cases in the world give us this option.
** "Currently the biggest albatross hanging around the neck of case design is the 5.25" bay..."
** "...but you'll have to tilt the board into the case if you're using a full-sized Micro-ATX board, as the drive cage overhangs the tray..."
** "...optical drive and the storage drives, as they're most liable to get buried under cables."
** "..but I must stress that you really are limited to 160mm of PSU depth unless you eschew using the 5.25" bays entirely."
** "Bottom-front intake to top-rear exhaust is inefficient design..."
MosBen - Sunday, March 3, 2013 - link
Just fyi, but wherefore means "why". The usage in the title seems to be using it as "where", as in "where are the micro-ATX cases at?" "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" is Juliet lamenting that the guy she likes is a member of a rival family. Why is he a Montegue, the hated rival of her father's family, rather than someone that she could hook up with easily.nickfouskas1992 - Saturday, June 1, 2013 - link
whats the max size of the cpu cooler when installed i7 core extreme onto an mirco atx motherboardrayden54 - Sunday, March 2, 2014 - link
It's not even "black is cool" or "blue is best" or whatever. Black and blue are both relatively neutral colors. If they make a case lime green or fire engine red, there's a lot of people who won't buy it JUST because they don't like the color.